Albert Barnes Commentary Ezekiel 3:1

"And he said unto me, Son of man, eat that which thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel." — Ezekiel 3:1 (ASV)

Previously, there was a direct commission; now there is a symbolic action. John has the same vision (Revelation 10:8 and following), but in that vision, what is here left to be inferred is expressed there, namely, that as soon as he had eaten it his belly was bitter. The sweetness in the mouth denoted that it was good to be a messenger of the Lord (compare the marginal reference), but the bitterness that accompanied it denoted that the commission brought with it much sorrow.